Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
by Mike AZ 2
Summary: A Novelization of FFIV: The After Years. Rated T for some mild violence.
1. Prologue: The Red Wings

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years

Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy games, characters and locations are the property of Squaresoft. I am just a fan author writing my own stories for entertainment.

Author Note: Dialogue in this story might be somewhat different then the actuall FFIV: The After Years game. Some may even be the same, depending on whether I remember the script from the game correctly.

Prologue: The Red Wings

Seventeen years passed since the downfall of the renegade Zeromus at the hands of the paladin Cecil, the dragon knight Kain, the white mage Rosa, the summoner Rydia and the ninja Edge. The moon had since left, and Cecil and Rosa were wed and became King and Queen of the Kingdom of Baron.

Kain went into solitude on Mount Ordeals, Edge had become King of Eblan, and Rydia continued to live in her village.

Not long after Cecil and Rosa's coronation, the couple had a child of their own, who they had named Ceodore. Seventeen years later, Ceodore decided to enlist in the Red Wings air force against his mother's wishes, but unknown to Cecil, Rosa or their allies, a new adventure was about to begin.

Shortly after Ceodore signed up, a Red Wings airship deployed for Mithrill on a training mission. Prince Ceodore was accompanied by the Red Wings Commander Biggs and his second in command, Wedge.

As they landed by Mithrill, Biggs turned towards Ceodore" we will stay at the inn untill the Full Moon".

Ceodore asked" why is that?".

Wedge replied " the lunar energies from the different moon phases impact the effectiveness of white and black magic spells. Of course weapons will not necessarily be a liability".

The next day, Ceodore had gotten up sometime after dawn and headed to the mithrill mines with Wedge.

Once there, Biggs admonished "you're late, (sigh, what a worthless squire they stuck me with). Anyway, your mission is to retrieve the Knight Emblem".

Ceodore nodded" understood."

"Good, now lets move out" said Biggs. With that, the two soldiers and the trainee proceeded into the mines.

As they went deep into the caves and arrived at the first basement, Biggs, Wedge and Ceodore encountered a trio of goblins.

The group defeated the monsters easilly enough, then Biggs spoke with Ceodore" Wedge and I will wait here, you will go the rest of the way to retrieve the emblem.

Try to come back alive or forget about making it as a member of the Red Wings".

Wedge piped up" I'm sure you'll be fine. After all, you are the son of King Cecil and Queen Rosa"

" That has nothing to do with it" said Ceodore impatiently.

Biggs shrugged" at least you have a strong backbone about it, good luck".

Ceodore bravely made his way through the next floor and eventually came across a treasure chest.

Ceodore thought _" This must be it" _and proceeded to open it. Just as he did, a giant sandworm attacked.

Ceodore fought the monster as best he could when he was hit by its whirlwind spell.

Biggs and Wedge, who had decided to check on their trainee, rushed to his aid. Wedge cried out" Ceodore!"

"Stay back, this is my fight" breathed Ceodore.

Standing back on his feet, Ceodore raised his blade in both hands and focused on his latent Lunarian power. As soon as he boosted himself, Ceodore launched himself at the sandworm and proceeded to slice the living daylights out of it. The monster died from the attack, and Ceodore collapsed from exhaustian.

Biggs quickly ordered Wedge to cast a Cure spell on Ceodore, which he did. As soon as the prince recovered, Wedge smiled" Well done."

Ceodore nodded, then proceeded to pick up the Knight's Emblem (which is really a mummified rat tail). As soon as the job was done, Wedge spoke to Ceodore" I knew you could do it."

"Lets get back to the ship then" ordered Biggs.

As the trio took off in the airship after returning to Mithrill to rest, Wedge asked" so how does it feel to be a member of the Red Wings, Ceodore?".

The prince replied" I honestly don't know what to say"

"Of course you don't, the Knight's Emblem was actually a mummified rat tail, which is what you risked your life to get. It was only a test of your ressolve" said Biggs as they headed back towards Baron.

Ceodore's trials had just begun, but mysterious events were about to unfold.


	2. Chapter 1: Baron's Downfall?

Note: I won't bother with more disclaimers. The one I put in the prologue should be sufficient. Well, enjoy the rest of the story and please feel free to review as I add and/or update chapters. Oh, and the contents might of the chapters may be different then in the actuall game (not too different I promise).

* * *

Chapter Two: Baron's Downfall?.

Meanwhile, at Baron Castle. Monsters led by an unknown adversary began to invade.

The captain of the Baronian Royal guard quickly reported to King Cecil" sire! Monsters are invading!"

"How? I thought their numbers were supposed to be dwindling" said Rosa.

Cecil stood up from his throne and issued an order to the captain" Secure the keep, I will lead you in this skirmish".

Rosa asked Cecil to let her accompany him" You'll need my white magic" she said.

Cecil sighed" all right, but promise me that if things are starting to take a turn for the worse, I want you to escape."

"Okay" said Rosa, as the two went to the east courtyard of the castle.

Not long after approaching the eastern tower, a Zu and three cockatrices attacked. Cecil, with a bit of difficulty, defeated the group. As they finished, Cecil face palmed" they're in the keep already."

"I wonder how come... The gate is secured" said Rosa. Cecil and Rosa ran into the east tower to check on things.

After defeating an ogre and saving a young woman who was trapped there, the king and queen returned to the keep to find that things had not changed much, and the guard who was protecting the west stairs was killed by a new monster called the Centaurion.

The Centaurion was tough, but Cecil managed to slay the demon while Rosa was casting white magic to ensure her husband's safety. The two of them went out to the west courtyard when they noticed that there were once again two moons in the sky.

Cecil thought for a moment " _Is that Golbez's? Why now at all times?". _

Rosa was stunned"I wonder what's happening."

"I don't know, but we have to somehow stop the monsters" said Cecil.

Upon approaching the westernmost tower, Cid came to meet Cecil" yo Cecil! How are things?"

"Not so good, the monsters keep coming" said Cecil.

Cid frowned" they must be coming from the air then, well lets finish this before Ceodore returns, would not want to ruin the welcome back feast".

Cecil, Cid and Rosa went into the room next to the westernmost tower and made for the middle tower. At the top, they were assaulted by three more waves of monsters. Cecil and Cid focused on fending the fiends off while Rosa supported the two men with her magic.

After defeating the first two monster waves, Cid panted" Man... these are nothing like the monsters we defeated before."

"No kidding" grumbled Rosa.

The final attack wave struck, and Cecil and Cid began to tire. Cecil sighed" at this rate baron will fall. Cid, I want you to take Rosa and get out of here".

Cid raised an eyebrow" going down with the ship?"

"I'm not leaving you!" protested Rosa.

Cecil turned to face the two of them" King's orders!, do it for Ceodore's sake!"

Cid grumbled a bit on why Cecil had to be so stubborn sometimes then said" All right, but don't go getting yourself killed".

With that, Cid went to leave, Rosa reluctantly followed. Cecil then turned around, prepared to face the worst.

Just then, an omnimous shadow descended from the moon. The Eidolon Bahamut descended towards Baron, but something was wrong.

The Eidolon was under the control of a mysterious unknown adversary who looked a little bit like Rydia but was a totally different being. The mystery girl was wearing an entirely white outfit, and her hair was a light shade of green (or was it blue? I forget some details and don't like to talk about the antagonists much).

Cecil was astonished at how much the mystery girl resembled Rydia. He asked" Who are you? What are you after?"

"No need for you to know" said the girl in an eerily soft voice.

With that, she commanded the now compromised Bahamut to attack Cecil. The black wyvern was tough, but Cecil continued to fight. After a short time had passed, Bahamut opened its mouth and spat several large balls of fire at the king.

Cecil, barely able to stand after the Megaflare assault, gasped" What are you after... and why?".

The mystery girl stood over his barely conscious figure and spoke" you are a half-breed as I expected... but you are a valuable sample, you shall prove useful".

Meanwhile, the Red Wings' flagship got caught in the same monster predicament. Ceodore, Biggs, Wedge and the other soldiers onboard fought their enemies with valor.

But sheer numbers deterred them and Ceodore noticed something in the distance" Is that smoke? No! It can't be! Father!".

Biggs had ordered the soldiers to quickly head back to baron, but their ship was thrown off course. The engines were burning out, and the airship began to fall. Seeing this, Biggs quickly covered Ceodore, and the airship crash-landed.

* * *

Just finished fixing up this chapter a bit, it's still short but feel free to review.


	3. Chapter 2: The Hooded Man

Chapter 2: The Hooded Man

As the dust settled and Ceodore had recovered after he was briefly knocked out, he was met with a terrible sight.

The Red Wings ship was crippled, and all of its soldiers, including Biggs and Wedge, were apparently dead.

As he looked around, he suddenly heard Biggs" Hey... over here".

Ceodore hurried over to the fallen captain and said" Captain, are you all right?".

Biggs replied" No, I'm sorry... Prince Ceodore. I could not see you safely back to baron...".

Ceodore shrank back" You risked your life for me. If I were more of a soldier this would not have happened".

Biggs spoke up one more time" Listen, Ceodore. You must return to Baron... no matter what, this is my last order".

The red wings captain closed his eyes, as he took his last breath. Ceodore nodded and said" understood, I will go back to Baron, no matter what" then took his leave.

As the prince/red wings soldier started his journey, he ran into some imps and a flame hound. Ceodore easily defeated the imps, but the flame hound spat a stream of fire at him, which he barely blocked with his Iron Shield.

His opponent was tough, but Ceodore desperately tried to survive though his chances were remote. Just as he was about to give up, a mysterious figure suddenly swept into the action and delivered a fatal blow to the flame hound, which melted into thin air.

Ceodore's rescuer was clad in a dark shirt and pants, with a purple robe and hood covering his head and back. His face was hidden partially by his cloak.

Ceodore gasped" Thank you".

The man replied" you didn't look helpless here, but taking on a monster of that caliber on your own was close to suicidal".

Ceodore addressed his rescuer" I'm Ceodore, who are you?".

The hooded man said" I don't have a name. I discarded it. What about you?".

Ceodore said" I am a member of Baron's Red Wings Air Force, have you heard of them?".

The man replied again" who hasn't heard of them would be a better question. That's the most famous unit in Baron's military. What became of the airship you were on?".

Ceodore spoke up" it crash-landed back there. I need to return to Baron, and I don't need an airship to claim that I am a Red Wings soldier".

The hooded man calmly spoke" I see. Well, I'm headed to Baron myself, I have urgent business there. First we should head to Mysidia".

Ceodore inquired" is there an airship there?"

" Something even better" said the man.

Shortly after arriving at Mysidia, the hooded man spoke to Ceodore" the Devil's Passage is located in this town, its been sealed, but we may find someone who can break the seal at the Hall of Prayer"

"Understood" said Ceodore.

As they entered the hall of prayer, they were greeted by a young woman with pink hair and a white dress.

Ceodore spoke first" hi, I'm..."

"Ceodore? Is that you? Its me, Porom, we haven't met since you were little" said the woman.

Ceodore asked" Really?"

"Yes, I helped Cecil in his quest, years ago" said Porom.

The hooded man spoke up" We came here to ask permission to traverse the Devil's Passage to Baron."

Ceodore added" the airship I was on crash-landed, we need to get to Baron quickly".

Porom shrugged" so that explains the unease I felt earlier, a hoard of monsters were headed in that direction. I cannot go with you, but I will send for some help".

She turned towards the stairs leading to the Crystal Chamber and the Prayer Dias" Hey guys! Could you come down here?".

At Porom's request, a Black Mage and a White Mage appeared.

The Black Mage spoke" yes my lady?"

" I need you two to accompany Ceodore to Baron" explained Porom.

"It will be done" said the White Mage.

Porom turned back to Ceodore" The White Mage can break the seal on the entrance. But be careful, the Devil's Passage wasn't named so for humor's sake."

" Thanks Porom" said Ceodore.

As Ceodore and the two mages left, Porom noticed the hooded man" Who are you?"

"No one you know, I think" said the man as he proceeded to follow Ceodore and their temporary allies.

After buying supplies and setting forth to the Devil's Passage, The White Mage broke the seal on the entrance and they went on their way.

The Devil's Passage was treacherous with energy-draining tiles, but Ceodore, the Hooded Man, and the two mages moved on, pausing a few times to heal themselves.

After a long trek, the group eventually made it to the other side of the passage. Ceodore and his new allies however were unprepared for what has happened at Baron Castle, as the mysterious girl had defeated Baron's royal guard and did something to Cecil.

* * *

Pretty mysterious end to the chapter huh? As for the hooded man, I know what his true identity is. But if anyone who reads it didn't play all the way to the end of the Main Story or don't want to know yet, I won't say it here. Well anyway, please feel free to review. Oh, and I took the time to fix a few errors so it'll be clear.


	4. Chapter 3: Silent Castle

Chapter 3: Silent Castle

Ceodore and his allies emerged from the Devil's Passage into the town of Baron. They headed to the castle, but as they reached the gates, something was wrong.

The guards in front of the gates were mysteriously pale, and they didn't recognize Ceodore. Though the prince had yelled" It's me, Ceodore! Don't you recognize me?"

The guards just stood there, saying" No one passes... orders from the king".

The Hooded Man sighed" We're just wasting time here, we must find another route". Ceodore hesitated, then followed the Hooded Man and the two Mages away from the castle gates.

Ceodore was puzzled" something is not right, the guards were pale and they didn't recognize me".

The Hooded Man explained" there is an underground passageway in Baron, which leads into the castle courtyard".

Ceodore was puzzled" Isn't it locked?"

"Someone has to have the key, we should ask around" said the Hooded Man.

The group returned to Baron and began to ask for information from the people. When they got to the north-westernmost house, Ceodore knocked.

A voice said" who's there?"

"It's me, Ceodore" said the blue haired prince.

A woman answered and was pleasantly surprised" Good to see you Ceodore".

Ceodore smiled" nice to see you too. How are things going?".

The woman replied" My father has been working a lot at the castle. But lately, there have been strange things happening, my husband went to the castle, but the guards didn't acknowledge him".

The Hooded Man spoke up" We are heading there, and we need the key to the Underground Passage".

The woman replied" Oh, okay. Here it is".

She handed the key to Ceodore and said" if you see my father, Please tell him to stop overdoing it, he's getting too old to be running around like that".

Ceodore replied" I will, and thanks".

After resting up at the inn, Ceodore, the Hooded Man and the two mages went to the entrance to the Underground Passage, which was southwest from Cid's house.

The Underground Passage was still crawling with monsters, though they were supposedly few now. Occasionally, as Ceodore and his allies crossed, they were attacked by Crocogators and Electrifish, which they defeated with magic and steel.

The rest of the trek was somewhat smooth, except for when they encountered a Black Lizard and a Mythril Golem.

The Black Mage cast his most powerful magic, Ceodore and the Hooded Man took on the Black Lizard and the Mythril Golem separately, while the White Mage supported the two fighters and the Black Mage from the back.

The fight was fierce, but mercifully brief. Ceodore, the Black Mage, the White Mage, and the Hooded Man eventually won and continued on to their destination.

As they emerged from the passage, and entered the castle via the southwest door, Ceodore called out" Mother! Father!".

The Hooded Man spoke up" Ceodore, your parents are in this castle?".

Ceodore replied" yes, my father's name is Cecil and Rosa is my mother". The Hooded Man was surprised at hearing Cecil and Rosa's names, though Ceodore didn't notice.

The prince continued" I'll go look around, there should be some survivors"

"Be careful" said the Hooded man.

As Ceodore went ahead into the castle's keep, the White Mage explained to the Hooded Man" We must part here, our objective was to see you to Baron. We will return to Mysidia to report this".

The Hooded Man nodded" Farewell".

The two mages left the castle the way the group came, and the Hooded Man went to investigate the castle's current state on his own.

When he looked in the dungeon, he saw that most of Baron's guards were knocked out and stuck in the cell.

The Hooded Man was astonished as he thought 'Ceodore might be in trouble. I hope he's okay, but I'll check out the throne room'.

With that, he went to the castle's main keep to find out more about the castle's silent predicament.

When the Hooded Man stepped into the throne room, which looked empty at first, a voice came out of the shadows" Who is there?".

A familliar silver haired paladin had emerged from the shadows, and sat on the throne, it was Cecil.

The Hooded Man spoke first" I'm glad you're okay."

"Of course I'm fine. I have to be if Baron is to continue protecting the peace, how did you get in?" asked Cecil.

The Hooded Man was silent, as though sensing something strange about the paladin.

Cecil continued" if you are just a stray begger or something like that, I have to ask you to leave, I am a busy man".

The Hooded Man replied" My apologies" and left the throne room.

When he exited, Ceodore met him in the hallway" There's no one here, the Enterprise is gone, I wonder if they're all dead".

The Hooded Man nodded" Seams to be that way."

"I'm going to look for the Enterprise" said Ceodore.

" I will continue to accompany you" said the Hooded Man, as they proceeded to leave the castle.

Not long after, Cecil summoned several of his guards and sent them to intercept the Hooded Man.

While outside, the Hooded Man caught wind of whats happening by hearing the distant sound of the castle gate" Looks like we overstayed our welcome, we should hurry on towards Mist."

"Understood" said Ceodore. With that, the duo headed into the Chocobo forest to the southwest of town and raced on two chocobos to the entrance of the Mist Caverns.

There, the Hooded Man exposed a Zombie Infantry, which was really a monster in disguise.

Ceodore and the Hooded Man defeated the imposter, and began to traverse the cave.

* * *

Sorry that chapters were so short so far, but I will try to include some longer ones. Oh, and in case whoever reads this hasn't played FFIV: The After Years, Cecil isn't himself.

Anyway, feel free to review.


	5. Chapter 4: Mist

Hi, I know I was a little slow, but heck I thought I can take my time since I don't have a deadline for this fic. Anyway, here's the next chapter, oh, and please remember that I did not have anything to do with the creation of FFIV: The After Years.

* * *

Chapter 4: Mist

Ceodore and the Hooded Man began to make their way through the Mist Cave. As they came upon a bridge, The Hooded Man went across, but the bridge collapsed from a groundquake as Ceodore began to follow. The Hooded Man quickly jumped in after the prince.

Below the upper levels of the cave, The Hooded Man asked Ceodore if he was all right. Ceodore replied" yeah, I'm all right, sorry about that".

The Hooded Man spoke" good. But it looks like we're going to have to find another route".

The lower levels of the Mist Cave were unexplored and packed with monsters. But the two heroes were undaunted.

Upon reaching the floor before returning to the cave's upper levels, Ceodore felt another quake" what's causing it?" "we're right above it" replied the Hooded Man.

As they spoke, a huge worm-like monster called the Tunneler emerged. Ceodore and the Hooded Man drew their blades and charged at the monster.

The Tunneler was a tough foe, as it cast Quake at the two. After being hit by another quake, Ceodore suddenly remembered a spell his mother taught him and cast "Float" on himself and the Hooded Man. The Hooded Man acknowledged the prince's White Magic Capabilities" good one, Ceodore, now lets finish this thing off!".

Ceodore and the Hooded Man assumed a special battle stance, charged at the monster and executed a powerful Cross Slash. The fiend crumpled to the ground and vanished into thin air. The Hooded Man shrugged ' that thing definately wasn't here last time' he thought.

The two reached the upper level again and were nearing the exit when they saw Baron soldiers coming after them. Ceodore gasped" we're surrounded" " just be quiet for a bit" said the Hooded Man.

As they spoke, the mist brightened and hid them from view. When it cleared, the soldiers were gone. Ceodore breathed" the mist, it saved us" "they'll be back, we should hurry" replied the Hooded Man.

After exiting the cave and headed towards the Village of Mist, Ceodore asked" why were you helping me, by the way?".

The Hooded Man hesitated, then replied" I'm not entirely doing this for you, I'm hunting down a man who I have to defeat, even if it costs me my life". Ceodore spoke up" Who?".

The Hooded Man responded" A Ex-Baronian Dragoon, Kain Highwind".

_Flashback _(sometime before the main story)

The Dragon Knight Kain Highwind was training on Mount Ordeals, when he heard a mysterious voice. He followed it to a stone monument, where he was transported into a mirror-like chamber. There, a mirror version of himself emerged.

Kain, though taken by surprise, fought his clone as best he could, but lost.

A little later, Kain, or rather his dark side, heard a cry from the other side of the bridge on the summit and raced to help whoever it was.

There, he rescued a white mage, who turned out to be Porom from a group of undead. Porom asked "Kain" for help, as mysterious events were occuring.

Porom and "Kain" entered Mysidia, only to find that it was in danger. The two of them rescued the elder, and "Kain" had soon made a bargan with the Mysterious Girl.

(If anyone who reads this sees that name in this chapter, there was actually more then one of her, but I won't say why that was, here)

Kain's darkside had promised to hand over the Water Crystal, in exchange for an audiance with the King of Baron. Once in Baron, Kain's darkside planned to take Cecil's life.

The dark side of Kain eventually made his way to Baron, along with the mysterious girl. There, "Kain" further bargained with the mysterious girl and was requested to gather the remaining two crystals on the overworld. Dark Kain was provided an airship and some soldiers, and he took of for Fabul.

_End of Flashback_

Meanwhile, The Hooded Man and Ceodore were passing through Mist Village. The Hooded Man explained" we'll proceed east of here to Damcyan, no one would expect a pair of refugees to go that way".

Ceodore asked" but wasn't that way closed off?" " we'll just have to blaze a path there" said the Hooded Man.

After resting up, Ceodore and the Hooded Man left Mist and took off for Damcyan.

* * *

Another chapter done. There's not much left to say about the Main Story, the next two or three chapters should cover the remainder of it, and the chapter after that will begin covering Rydia's Tale, though you never know.

I kind of rushed through the flashback that began Kain's portion of the Main Story. Storyline-wise, it was kind of redundant.

Anyway, feel free to review.


	6. Chapter 5: Damcyan

Chapter 5: Damcyan

Between Mist and Kaipo, the mountain which caved in years before, during Cecil's last adventure, hollowed out.

Ceodore and the Hooded Man approached the cliff. The Hooded Man spoke" we should be able to make our way to the other side".

Ceodore looked astonished" we're going to climb that? But there's no path!".

The Hooded Man replied calmly" then we'll blaze one".

Their climb was eventless for the most part. Ceodore had fallen a bit during their climb down from the side of the cliff which was close to the Damcyan Desert. Other then that, they made their way to the edge of the desert.

The Damcyan Desert itself was as hot as ever. But Ceodore and the Hooded Man made their way towards Kaipo, at the center of it. There, the Hooded Man indicated the nearby in to Ceodore" desert travel is more tiring then you think, we should rest at the inn for a bit".

No sooner had the two of them paid for their rooms for the night and went to bed, several zombified Baron Soldiers stormed into the inn. The Hooded Man, being a light sleeper to a degree, noticed them and warned Ceodore.

The four Zombie Infantrymen were tough, but Ceodore and the Hooded Man held their ground as the former cast healing spells on the fly while the latter focused on attacking.

As the last of the Zombie Infantry perished, Ceodore gasped" were they from Baron? Are they dead?".

The Hooded Man shrugged" seems that way. Don't go easy on them just because they're from Baron, Ceodore, or you could end up that way yourself".

At the next morning, Ceodore and the Hooded Man bought a few more supplies at the item shop and set off for the Damcyan Waterway northeast of Kaipo. While the two of them made their way through the caves, a Red Wings airship had passed ahead of them and was headed for the Damcyan Castle.

* * *

At the castle, the dark side of Kain smoothly entered, ordering the zombified soldiers he brought with him to remain behind.

In the throne room, Dark Kain met with Edward. The prince of Damcyan had become king not long after the last war of the Crystals, and spent years rebuilding his country.

Edward smiled" good to see you Kain". Dark Kain nodded" likewise". After a brief conversation, Dark Kain requested, or should I say, demanded that Edward hand over the Fire Crystal.

Edward refused, whereas the Zombie Infantrymen who accompanied Kain's dark side entered the throne room.

Dark Kain again demanded Edward to hand over the crystal. At this, Edward reached into his pocket and pulled out a mystery box. He opened it and several fire bombs incinerated the Zombie Infantrymen.

Undaunted, Dark Kain challenged Edward, though Rosa showed up and begged him to stop.

Dispite Edward and Rosa's efforts however, Dark Kain knocked out Edward, grabbed the Fire Crystal, and "captured" Rosa.

* * *

Meanwhile, a few minutes earlier, Ceodore and the Hooded Man had traveled through the Damcyan Waterways as fast as they could.

At the final waterfall however, the duo had a somewhat brutal encounter with a Octomammoth. Ceodore healed himself and the Hooded Man with his white magic, while the man hacked at the monster's head and tentacles.

The Octomammoth eventually vanished into thin air, and the two of them quickly rushed towards Damcyan Castle.

But they were a second too late, Kain's dark side had snatched Rosa and was making his escape.

* * *

Pretty short chapter huh? Sorry, I don't have the script memorized so I could not really expand it, and pardon the cliffhanger, some authors do those.

Well I've gone and underesttimated myself, the next chapter concludes the Main Story, small spoiler: The Hooded Man is actually Kain's light half, though I guess its pretty obvious to some players, or at least those who played the Main Story all the way through or read about the game on the internet (no offense to you readers and fellow authors).

Oh and for future reference, some Horizontal Ruler Line areas indicate change in character point of view, just thought I'd let you know. And please don't hesitate to review okay?


	7. Chapter 6: The Return of the Dragoon

I know this chapter title looks a little silly, but I thought it might be a good way to mark the end of the Main Story segment and the next two tales. Oh, and I do not own FF IV, Square does. Well technically I own three copies of FF IV, but Square created FF IV.

Also, you don't have to read the part I wrote in parenthesize, that was just me reminding whoever reads it that Star Trek also features a ship called the Enterprise, which is a spaceship. The Enterprise in FF IV is an airship, just to avoid confusion.

* * *

Chapter 7: Endgame-The Return of the Dragoon

As the airship that Dark Kain was using was about to take off, Cid's airship, the Enterprise (different Enterprise to you Star Trek fans, no offense intended), suddenly showed up. Cid smirked cockily" back in action!". Before he could stop Dark Kain however, the other ship took off.

As Cid landed the Enterprise, Ceodore, Edward, and the Hooded Man went on board. Cid was glad to see Ceodore" Hey, glad to see you're okay."

" What of my mother? is she safe?" asked Ceodore.

Cid's face looked a bit grim" I was not able to help Rosa, I should have stayed with her".

" Never mind that, we need to return to Baron as soon as possible" interjected the Hooded Man.

Cid was surprised" who is this?"

" We don't have time, we must move" replied the Hooded Man.

With that, Cid, Edward, Ceodore, and the Hooded Man launched the Enterprise, and took off to save Rosa.

* * *

On the other airship, Rosa was stunned. Kain, or rather his dark half, was behaving oddly. The ex-Baronian Dragon Knight's shadow deviously planned to kill Cecil right in front of her.

Dark Kain's airship landed in front of Baron, and the shadow proceeded to drag Rosa into the castle.

* * *

On the Enterprise, The Hooded Man requested that Cid move his airship faster. They caught up to Dark Kain's airship, and quickly raced to Baron Castle.

The front gates of Baron Castle were still guarded by Zombie Infantry, but Ceodore, Cid, Edward and the Hooded Man cut through them with little difficulty and continued onward.

* * *

Just ahead, near the castle's throne room, Kain's dark half, and Rosa, were just about there when Ceodore and his allies rushed in.

Ceodore cried out" Mother!".

Rosa and her "captor" looked to see Ceodore, Cid, Edward and the Hooded Man standing there.

Seeing the Hooded Man's face, which was barely visible, Rosa was puzzled" Kain?"

Ceodore, Edward, and Cid were surprised to learn that the Hooded Man and the Dragoon before them were in fact the same guy, but with different personalities.

Ceodore looked between the two men and said" Who are you then?"

" I am the real Kain, this fake is about to be destroyed" sneered Dark Kain.

The Hooded Man stepped forward to challenge his adversary" we shall see".

Rosa gasped" Kain?"

"Ceodore, Rosa, Stand back!" warned the Hooded Man.

The ensuing duel between the Hooded Man, who is revealed to be the real Kain, and his doppelganger was fierce.

At first, Dark Kain had the upper hand, he sneered" what's wrong? I am who you are on the inside, you wanted Cecil dead so you could have Rosa to yourself, is that right?".

Kain didn't respond verbally, but got back on his feet and launched himself at Dark Kain.

The duel continued for almost a minute, but Kain eventually overpowered his dark side, and accepted himself.

Kain had overcome his weakness, when the voice of Cecil's father, Kluya, echoed" yes, this is justice"

' that voice' thought Kain.

A warm light enveloped the Hooded Man and his fallen dark side. When it cleared, Kain was whole again, but now wore a light-blue tunic, armor, and a dark blue, flowing cape.

Cid was amazed" that garb... its like..."

"It's like a paladin" gasped Edward.

Kain retrieved the crystals that were left behind by his doppelganger, then turned to his allies" Cecil should still be in the throne room."

"Lets go" said Rosa.

Ceodore, Kain, Rosa, Edward and Cid entered the throne room, where they were greeted by the man who is Ceodore's father and Rosa's husband, Cecil.

Cecil, who was still under the Mysterious Girl's control, spoke" welcome back. Hello Ceodore, Rosa, Cid, and most of all, Kain!".

Rosa and Ceodore cried out "Cecil!" "Father!".

Kain said nothing as he stepped forward a few feet towards Cecil. Cid and Edward stood back a bit.

* * *

That wraps up the Main Tale. I know short chapters tend to be a bit redundant, but there wasn't much to say at this point. Also, I did leave out the challenge dungeon. It fits fine gameplay-wise, but storyline-wise, it might have ruined it.

Don't get me wrong, I like the side-quest portions of the Final Fantasy games, but I don't see how I can fit any of the challenge dungeons into this fic.

As always, feel free to review.


	8. Rydia's Tale: The Eidolons Shackled

Can't think of an excuse for not updating much. I'm not that good of an author. Also, I don't really agree with Crazy Gunbladergirl that working on multiple stories at the same time is a bad idea (I read some of her fics, and no offense intended).

Oh, and please excuse the blooper I made sometime ago. I had to fuse two chapters together since Rydia's tale is short enough to have its own chapter entirely and ended up deleting a chapter.

* * *

Rydia's Tale: The Eidolons Shackled

Just a day or two before Ceodore's adventure began, Rydia was heading to the Feymarch to visit her adoptive parents Queen Asura and King Liviathan.

When she got to the Feymarch however, she found that the queen was a bit different.

Asura spoke with Rydia" Why did you return?".

" I-I just thought I would see everyone again" replied the green-headed summoner.

" Now you have seen them, just leave" said Asura, coldly.

Rydia paled" What? Can't I just come visit once in a while?".

" Your place is in the realm of humans" said Asura.

" Now, dear. Rydia is like a daughter to us, surely it wouldn't hurt to let her visit?" intervened Liviathan.

Before the three could discuss it any further, Liviathan sensed a presence not far from his chamber.

" No, Rydia, you must leave" said Liviathan.

" Why?" inquired the green-headed woman.

There's nothing to fear" said Asura as her husband warped Rydia out just as a young woman with a different shade of green hair entered.

Liviathan confronted the mysterious being" What brings you here?".

" I want your powers" said the woman in a monotone voice.

" Not if we can help it" replied Asura.

The mystery girl was unfazed" It is pointless to resist, Bahamut is already under our control?".

" The hollowed father of the Eidolons! What are you?" exclaimed Liviathan.

The mystery girl didn't bother to respond and instead stole the two Eidolon royals' powers.

Meanwhile, Rydia woke up just on the outskirts of the Feymarch. When she came to however, the Eidolons were all turned to stone.

Fearing the worst, Rydia hurried back to Liviathan and Asura's chamber.

By the time she got there, her adoptive parents were already petrified to a degree.

The two royals could barely say anything when Rydia tried to speak with them.

The green haired summoner was devastated" Oh no! Despite your warnings I've caused this." With that, she headed out of the Feymarch.

As Rydia made her way through the Passage of the Eidolons, there were few obstacles except one where she encountered some goblins.

But when Rydia tried to summon, no Eidolon responded. Exasperated, she threw a fire spell at the monsters before moving on.

Just as Rydia reached the surface, she began to look for her companion" Luca?."

But her friend seemed to be missing as well.

A nearby Zusuddenly swooped after Rydia. She barely avoided its attacks and tried to focus on her black magic.

The monster was mostly unfazed however. But just as Rydia was about to give up, canon fire from above destroyed the Zu.

Rydia smiled when she saw her rescuer on board a familiar red vessel with a drill attached.

The woman was shorter then Rydia and had red hair and a similarly colored outfit.

" Luca! Where have you been?" smiled Rydia.

Luca shrugged" I was bored and took the Falcon on patrol, monsters have been multiplying lately."

Rydia shrugged" I'm surprised that your father let you do anything like fly an airship or anything."

" He doesn't know, getting him to let me be an engineer's apprentice was painful enough" replied the red head.

" Yeah, that sounds more like the King Giott I know" said Rydia.

While the two girls were speaking however, a red-wings airship appeared and attacked the dwarf castle.

" The Red Wings! Something must be up" said Luca.

Rydia nodded" Yeah, something must have happened to Cecil if the Red Wings just attacked for no apparent reason."

" We'd best go check on my father" said Luca.

The Red Wings already left by the time Rydia and Luca made it to the castle. Even then, they were a split few seconds too late.

As Rydia and Luca entered the throne room at the castle, they met with Luca's father, King Giott.

Luca greeted her father" father! are you all right?".

Giott replied" I should be asking you the same, though this castle is strong enough against attacks as feeble as the last."

" What of the Crystals?" inquired Rydia.

" Three of the crystals are now in the hands of the enemy, the one in this castle was taken by a young lady with the same abilities as you" said King Giott.

" What? Really?" gasped Rydia.

Giott nodded grimly" Yeah, she fought off half of my most battle-hardened warriors and took the crystal just like that."

" There's just one more crystal in the sealed cave, right?" chirped Luca.

" Then thats where I will go" said Rydia.

Luca chimed" I'm with you. Besides, my necklace holds the power to break the seal on the cave's entrance."

" Are you sure about this?" said Giott.

" Yeah, besides we will not be going alone" said Luca.

Giott sighed" I had no idea I'd raised such a stubborn daughter. All right, but please do not overextend yourselves my ladies."

" Thanks dad" said Luca.

Giott addressed Rydia one more time" Can I trust you to watch over my daughter?".

" Yes sire" said Rydia.

The two girls stocked up on a small supply of potions at the item shop before heading back to the Falcon.

When they got back there, Rydia was surprised to see two familiar, yet slightly different, figures.

One looked like a boy and the other was like a girl. Except that they weren't human.

Luca grinned at her green-haired best friend" I told you we weren't alone. These two are Calca and Brina."

" More of Cid's work?" inquired Rydia.

Luca replied" I fixed Calca and Brina up actually. I also upgraded them so they should be of some help."

" All right, where to first?" said Rydia.

" We should head for Tomra, without your Eidolons you need better equipment right?" piped Luca.

" Yeah, you're right" said Rydia.

Rydia, Luca, Calca and Brina flew the Falcon to the small town not far from the Sealed Caves.

The weapon and armor shops had not much to offer, but the two girls bought stronger armor and a couple new weapons.

When they were ready, the four headed to the cave.

When they got there, the door ahead from the entrance was still securely shut.

" Looks like we're just in time" said Rydia.

" The Red Wings could probably break in if they attacked with full force" said Luca as she used her pendant's imbued magic to undo the seal.

The sealed cave was the same as when Rydia last traversed it with her old comrades Cecil, Kain, Edge and Rosa. Some of the doors were traps, but Rydia and Luca took care of those with Calca and Brina's help.

After a long trek, the group entered the final chamber where the crystal is.

Luca addressed Rydia" We should take it with us."

" Okay" replied the green-haired summoner.

But before they could get farther then the crystal chamber, a monstrous demon wall emerged.

" It figures it would not be easy" said Luca.

Rydia sighed as she through a thunder spell at it" Lets just take care of it quickly."

Luca slammed a Spider Silk onto the monster while Brina and Calca combined to form Calcabrina to help fight off the monster.

Even that did not slow down the monstrous wall much, but Rydia eventually wore it down long enough for Luca and her two automatons to finish it off.

The rest of the trek out of the cave was uneventful until they ran into the Mysterious Girl.

The girl coolly spoke" I see you saved some effort for me."

" What do you want?" demanded Luca.

The mystery girl replied" No need for you to know. Just that there is one worthier of the crystals then you."

" What?" exclaimed Luca.

Calca and Brina launched themselves at the mystery girl, but she simply blasted them with magic, stunned Luca and Rydia and took the crystal by force.

Shortly afterward, Luca and Rydia woke up to find Calca and Brina damaged and the crystal stolen.

Rydia sighed" Good thing we're still alive, but so much for the crystal."

Luca was slightly dismayed at the sight of her two prone dolls. And when the two girls exited the cave while carrying Calca and Brina, they found the Falcon intact.

Luca shrugged" that girl wasn't even pretending to take us seriously. She could have destroyed the airship and killed us."

Rydia helped Luca put Calca and Brina down on the Falcon and addressed her companion" Well, we'd best head for Baron."

Luca nodded and took the helm. With that, they sped off to the surface part of the blue planet.

En route to Baron, Rydia saw something at a distance" Hey look!"

Luca glanced to see two people riding a Black Chocobo. Rydia gasped as she recognized one of the passengers" Its Palom! But who's that with him?".

Luca spotted a blond girl riding with Palom and frowned" That sneak! After all that sweet talk he gave me."

Suddenly, as the two girls got closer to Baron, a Red Wings airship accosted them. To make things worse, Calca and Brina popped up, and something was wrong.

Luca addressed her dolls" Calca! Brina! You're all right!".

But the two dolls responded with a thunder spells. Luca gasped" Oh No! Their behaviour circuits have gone haywire. Rydia, try to outmaneuver the Red Wings while I deal with those two."

While Rydia tried to evade the Red Wings' canons, Luca took almost no effort in flooring Calca and Brina with her battle axe. Rydia however was not so successful with the airship.

" Luca! We're going down!" she exclaimed.

The Red Wings had damaged the Falcon so badly that Luca barely managed to land it on the island of Agart before it crashed into the ocean.

As the duo recovered from the impact, Rydia and Luca inspected the damage done to their ship.

" We sure took heavy damage" remarked Luca.

Rydia shrugged" Any chance we can fix it?".

Luca pondered a bit, before Rydia spoke again" 'You Kidding? I can get this patched up in no time!' That's what your master would say, right?".

Luca brightened up again before she spoke" You're right, lets go to the Agart Mines after we stock up to see what we can find."

After a quick stop in town to buy potions and eithers and gather info, the two girls went into the Agart Mines to search for materials.

The mines were swamped with monsters, but Rydia dispatched those easily with her magic. And as they went deeper into the mines, Rydia found a Mythril Bolt in one of the cave's urns.

And that wasn't all, before they reached the bottom floors, Rydia and Luca fought past Quadro Dolls, which looked like Calca and Brina, from which Rydia helped salvage more parts.

At the bottom floor of the mines, Rydia and Luca found a treasure chest which was guarded by a turtle-like monster. (I forget what its name was, and is Squaresoft that obsessed with turtles or something? No offense).

With a bit of difficulty, Rydia and Luca smashed the monster and found some Argentite in the treasure chest.

Rydia shrugged" Well, now we should be able to repair the Falcon."

" Yeah, but we should probably rest at the inn before we do anything else" replied Luca.

After a good night's rest at the inn, the two girls returned to the airship to fix the damage.

After a bit of tinkering and hammering, Luca sighed" Still a bit short, I can't fix the ship with what we have on hand."

She then turned towards the prone figures of Calca and Brina" I'm sorry."

" You're not actually thinking of scrapping Calca and Brina for parts are you?" inquired Rydia.

" Its the only way to get the ship off the ground right now" said Luca.

" Wait! You can't do that! Didn't you grow up with them?" exclaimed Rydia.

" But what choice do we have?" replied Luca.

Rydia reached into their item bag and pulled out the mythril parts she found in the mines" Can you use these?".

Luca inspected the items and said" Great! Thanks Rydia! There's even enough material to repair Calca and Brina."

After a bit more work, the airship, Falcon, was fully repaired and Calca and Brina were back on their feet and no longer malfunctioning.

Before anything else could be done, a tremor had shook near Agart.

Luca gasped" oh no! Did you feel that Rydia?".

Rydia nodded and the four of them rushed to the scene of the tremor.

There, not far from Agart, was one of Rydia's eidolons, which resembled a giant man.

" Titan!" breathed Rydia.

But something was wrong, the man-like Eidolon could not presently hear the green-haired summoner. And whats more, it was targeting Agart.

" Its heading for Agart!" cried Luca.

" Titan! Stop! The town's in danger!" shouted Rydia.

But the Eidolon did not respond other then to turn around and unleash his quake spells.

Luca, Rydia, Calca and Brina barely avoided the spells. Luca sighed" We'll just have to fight him."

Calca and Brina's combat systems were still not fully functional, so Luca and Rydia tackled Titan themselves with magic and physical attacks.

Eventually, Titan used its Gaia Rage spell on both of them. Rydia began to despair as it prepared to finish them.

Suddenly, a black-garbed man with silvery-white hair appeared and smashed Titan. The man was very different, yet familiar.

Rydia gasped" Thanks, but who are you?".

The Man in Black did not respond immediately, but he spoke to Rydia and Luca" The Tower of Babil awaits, we must hurry."

Rydia, Luca, Calca and Brina looked in the direction that their mysterious dark-clad rescuer indicated, and sure enough the Tower of Babil was glowing.

" The past is beginning to repeat itself" spoke the mystery man.

Though initially wary of the mysterious Man in Black, Luca and Rydia boarded the Falcon with Calca, Brina and the man in black.

What Rydia did not know at first was that her newest ally is Cecil's older brother Golbez, who is barely recognizable outside his dark blue armor and helmet.

But the green-haired summoner and her companions were about to begin a mission to protect their world.

* * *

Rydia's tale ends here at this point. I know I spoiled the identity of the Man in Black, but I'd think its pretty obvious to anyone who's played the Lunarian's Tale sub story of Final Fantasy IV: The After Years.

Also, please excuse my hypocrisy, but the side quest I covered was where you would have to get certain rare items (in the game mind you) to make Calca and Brina playable in the game's final chapter: The Crystals.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please feel free to review.


	9. Author's Note

Author's Note

Well, the silly restrictions have been dealt with for now, hopefully it has a lasting effect. Again, hang in there, I willl continue this story, eventually.

Please review the previous chapters, if you'd like.


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